Telephone-call recorder.



H. K. SANDELL.

TELEPHONE GALL RECORDER. APPLIOATION FILED mnz, 1911.

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[zz/efrz' ag/Uy jazz/egel@ H. K. SANDELL.

TELEPHONE GALL RECORDER.

APPLIUATION FILED mmm, 1911.

1:7@42990 Patented June 17, 1913.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

H. K. SANDELL.

TELEPHONE GALL RECORDER.

APPLICATION FILED MAB.. 22, 1911.

Patented June 17, 1913.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

H. K. SANDELL.

TELEPHONE GALL RECORDER.

APPLIUATION FILED mmm, 1911.

p649998 Patented June 17,1913.

UNHED sfrA'rEs PATENT oFFoE.

HENRY 4IK. SANDELL, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO HERBERT S. MILLS, OF

` CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

TELEPHONE-CALL RECORDER.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that. I, HENRY K. SANDELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the count-y of Cook and State ot' Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Telephone-Call Recorders, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates tio certainnew and useful improvements in telephone call registers, and is'fully described and explained 1n the specification and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved device with the front of the case removed; Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the line 2 of Fig. l looking upward, that is, a bottom plan of the working mechanism; Fig. 3 is a vert-ical transverse section on the line 3 of Fig. 1, that is, a left-hand view of the mechanism; Fig. 4 is a front view of the parts constituting the clock-stopping and starting mechanism in a position occupied when the clock is stopped; Fig. 5 is a bottom plan of the salue parts; Figs. 6 and 7 are views similar to 4 and 5, respectively, but showing the corresponding parts in the position occupied when the clock is running; Fig. 8 is a front elevation of the parts constituting the overtime-registering mecha# nism in the position occupied when a call is being registered and the overtime mechanism being set back to normal position; Fig. 9 is a bottom plan of the parts shown in Fig. 8; Fig. 10 is a section on the line 10 of Fig. 9; Fig. 11 is a vertical transverse section on the line 11 of Fig. 1; Fig. 12 is a vertical transverse section on the line 12 of Fig. l; Fig. 13 is a bottom plan of the contact. mechanism in the position it occupies when the button is pus ed; Fig. 14 is a vertical transverse section on the line 14 of Figs. v1 and 2, and Fig. 15 is a diagrammatic viewof the entire circuit.

Referring to the drawings, 13 is a stationary permanent magnet in the form preferably of the arc of a circle with its poles 14 and 15 slightly separated.l 16 is an electromagnet pivoted yat 17 and normally held,l

by means of a spring 18, so that one of its poles 19 normally lies medially between the poles 14 and 15 of the permanent magnet. The opposite end of the electromagnet 16 carries a curved pole piece 20, the ends of Specication of Letters Patent.

Application led March 22, 1911.

Patented June 17, 1913.

serial No. 616,166.

which extend up into proximity to the poles 14 and 15 of the permanent magnet. The 5 result of this construction is that when current is Cpassed through the electromagnet in either irection its pole 19 will become of one polarity and the two ends of the pole piece 20 will be of opposite polarity, -with 6o the result that the electromagnet will be powerfully swung in one direction or the other depending upon the. direction in which it is traversed by electric current. The electromagnet 16 carries'an arc-shaped arm 21, 65 preferably of non-magnetic material, which overlies oneside of the permanent magnet 13 and carries two spring pawls 22 and 23, the free ends of which face toward each other, and which lie in staggered radial planes (Figs. 1 and 11).

24 is an ordinary numerical register, which may be of the Veeder or other common type, provided with the usual carrying mechanism, from one end of which extends a shaft 25 carrying two ratchets 26 and 27, each of which face in opposite directions and lie in planes to be engaged by the spring pawls 22 and 23, respectively. The result of this construction is such that if a current traverses the electromagnet 1G in one direcl tion, the magnet and its arm 21 will swing in one direction from the normal position shown in Fig. 1, thus causing one of the spring pawls 22 or 23 to engage with its 85 corresponding ratchet and turn the register in one direction. If a current traverses the electromagnet in the opposite direction, an opposite swing will occur and the register will be turned in the opposite'direction, it 90 being understood that the movements are such that as each advances they register one digit. In the construction here illustrated .the armature swings counter-clockwise to advance the reglster and clockwise to turn it back. 28 (Figs. 2 and 9) is a T-shaped lever pivoted at 29, having its head much longer than its stem. The right-hand arm of the head of this lever is bent to form camsurfaces 30 and 31 adapted to be engaged 100 by a radial pin 32 carried by the electromagnet 16 so that, as the electromagnet oscillates in either direction, the right-hand end of the head of the T-shaped leverf28 will be pressed forward and the opposite end be pressed back and, inasmuch as the pivot is Well below the line of the head, the head will move bodily to the left as the righthand end ispressed forward. The lever is held in its normal position by means of a spring 33.

34 1s a contact plate of spring metal piv oted upon a support of insulating material and thls contact plate has its free end normally pressed forward by means of aspring 35. Forward movement of the contact plate 34 is normally prevented .by means of a pin 36.

37 is a push rod operated by a button 38 projecting from the front of the case, having projecting downward from it a cam 39 which is adapted to engage the contact plate 34 (Figs. 2, 13 and 14) to lift the free end of said contact plate free of the pin 36 so that the spring 35 will move said end forward. The'cam 39 is pivoted on the push rod 37 to the end that the push rod may be retracted without again bending the contact plate. When the push rod is moved forward under the influence of the button 38 and the cont-act plate 34 consequently moves forward from the position shown in Fig. 2 to that shown in Fig. 13, its free end strikes an upwardly-turned tip 40 on the left-hand end of the T-sh'aped lever 28.

This completes a description of the construction of the call register proper, that is, the mechanism which will s1mply register the number of calls without reference to the overtime, and the,general mode of operation of these parts will be set forth before proceeding to the description of the purpose, construction and operation of thev overtime register portion of the mechanism.

Referring to Figs. 15, 41 and 42 are the line-wires to one of which one end of the electromagnet 16 is connected, the other end of the electromagnet being connected to its core and thence to the metallic frame o-f the construction, whereby the tip 40 on the T-shaped lever 28 becomes a part of the electrical circuit. The contact plate 34 is grounded, so that if the central operator connects the line-wire 42 with a generator, or other source of electrical current, the op- ,posite pole of which is grounded the current will flow through the electromagnet, the frame of the machine, the lever 28 and its tip 40, the contact plate 34 to the ground, thus affecting the register, as already set forth. This statement, of course, assumes that the contact plate 34 is in contact with the tip 40 of the lever 28, but this is not the normal position of the contact plate. Under normal conditions the circuit thus outlined is broken between the end of the contact plate 34 and the tip 40, and this contact is made under the following condi-v tions.

When a subscriber makes a call he is advised by the central-operator to drop a- -ters a call.

nickel or push a button, as the case may be, and Whatever may be the -form of words used by the central-operator, he will push the button 38' thereby releasing the contact vplate 34 from engagement with the pinl 36 and permitting it to contact with the tip 40 of the lever 28, thereby closing the break inthe circuit and setting the registering mechanism in such position that the centraloperator can register a call. When the called subscriber answers, central throws the switch in the roper direction and regis- Ifor any reason the called subscriber is not reached, the central-operator does nothing and no call is registered. If a call'is registered by mistake `the central-operator can readily retract the register by throwing in a current in the opposite direction. This would occur, for instance, if the wrong party is obtained and a call registered and the right party cannot be obtained. The movement of the lever 28, upon the swinging of the electromagnet, through the action of the in 32 upon the cam-surfaces 31 or 30 of sai lever, returns the contact plate to its normal position, so that it is held by the pin 36 and the central-operator cannot register a second call until the button is again pushed. This register mechanism can take the place of the ordinary coin-box on an ordlnary telephone circuit adapted for the use of such a box. In the said circuits of a very common type, money is. dropped into the box by a current in one direction between one of the line-wires and the ground and is returned to the subscriber by a current in the opposite direction, so that the present construction can be inserted in place of such boxes and will operate successfully ywith only the slight difference in manipulation that the central-operator .will do nothing if a call is not obtained successfully, whereas, at the present time she throws in a current in the direction to return the coin.

. Turning now to the overtime registering mechanism 43 is a clock-movement of which 44 is the main arbor the rsame projecting forward from the casing of the clock movement. This arbor carries a pin 45' running in a segmental slot in a boss 46 on a mitergear 47. As the clock moves the arbor rotates clockwise and the miter-gear 47 is connected with said arbor by a spring 48 (Fig. 9) whereby the miter-gear is normally pressed in the same direction so that the pin 45 normally lies against the rear of the slot in the boss 46. 49 vis an overtimeregister upon the shaft of which is a lonlio grooved boss 5.1 in which runs a -fork 52, pivoted at 53 and slotted at its lower end at 54 to engage the tip 4() of thel T-shaped lever 2h' so that when the T-shaped lever has its right end lswung forward by the oscillation of the electromagnet 16 and its left-hand end moves to the left, as viewed in Figs. 1. 2 and 9 the lower end of the fork 52 will be swung to the left and the upper end to the right, thereby disengaging the miter-gear and the miter-gear 47. Upon this disengagement the spring 48 will instantly operate to return the miter-gear 47 to its normal position with reference to the pin 45 on the arbor 44 of the clock-mm'cinent, which normal )osition is shown in Fig. 10. rlhe result of tiis construction is that when the clock is set in motion as by the mechanism hereinafter set forth, the electromagnet then being in its lnormal position and the miter-gears 47 and 50 being in mesh, the clot-k will run for a certa-in length of 'time until the pin 45 traverses the slot in the boss 46 and strikes the opposite end of the slot, whereupon it will egin to turn the mitergear and` move the overtime register. The slot is of such length that the clock will run for the proper length for one telephone eall without beginning to register overtime. Under ordinary conditions the subscriber is entitled to a three minutes conversation for the price of one call and in cities where this is the case, the slot will be made so that the clock will run three minutes and thereafter will move the overtime register forward in an obvious manner. Each time a new call is registered on the call register, the initer-gear 47 will snap back tov its normal position on the arbor so that the subscriber will get each time a full threeminutes call before the overtime will begin to register.

is a balance-wheel of the clock-movement and 56 is a lever pivoted adjacent thereto and carrying a spring-tooth 57 which is adapted when the lever 56 is swung to the left, as shown in Fig. 4, to engage a projection 58 on said balance-wheel 55. The

, lower end of the lever 56 is connected to a rack-bar 59, the pivot between the rack-bar' 59 and the lever 56 permitting sufficient lost motion thatthe rack-bar can be moved to a certain extent in a plane transverse its length. The rack-bar 59 normally engages with a pinion 60 forming part of the clockmovementor driven thereby and the rackbar is normally held forward or in the plane of the pinion 60 by a spring 61, but the rack-bar can be pushed backward so as to fall out of engagement with said pinion 60. The rack-bar is normally spring-pressed to the right or to the position shown in Fig. 6, by means of a spring 62 operating upon the shaft to which the lever 56 is pivoted, but

-. the normal position of the rack-bar is that carried upward over the rack-bar 59 so that 1 each time the lever 28 oseilla'tes on its pivot, the tip 40 will strike the rack-bar pushing thehsame back out of engagement with the pinion 60, whereuptm the spring 62 will force it to the right under the end of the ai'- mature 64 and then, if the current is fiowing through the magnet 63, the rack-bar will remain out of engagement with the pinion 60. ()r, in the alternative, if the rackbar is in a position with its end under the armature 64 and said armature is at any time depressed so as to engage With the i-ack-bar, a similar movement of the rackbar to its extreme right-hand position will occur. This completes the description of the mechanism and from it the complete operation of the overtime recorder can be understood. lV hen the subscriber picks up his receiver to make a call, the line-current commences to flow through the magnet 66 depressing the end of the armature 64, the remaining parts, however, staying in their normal positions. The clock is thus stationary through engagement. of the springtooth 57 with the projection 58 on the balance-wheel 55 thereof. When the button is pushed the overtime mechanism is not affected but when the call is registered the movement of the lever 28 under the influence of the electromagnet 16 depresses the rack-bar throwing it back of the plane of the pinion 60 so that the spring 62 simply7 throws the rack-bar as far as possible to the right, that is, from the position shown in Fig. 4 to that shown in Fig. 6. As long as the line-current continues toflow, the armature 64 will hold the rack-bar in this position. Immediately on the moving of the rack-bar to the right, the spring-tooth 57 will disengage the projection 58 on the balance-wheel of the clock and the clock will start to move and will continue so to do as long as the line-current flo-ws. When the clock has run for the requisite period determined by the length of the slot in the boss 46 of the mit-er-gear 47, the overtime register Will begin to turn and it will continue to turn until the line-current ceases to flow. flow, the rack-bar will promptly move into engagement with the pinion 60 and, by such engagement, will be moved to the left so that the tooth 57 will stop the clock. The parts Vhen the line-current does cease to sesA again passed through the magnet 63, andy the rack-bar will be again {nlshedbackward before the clock has stopped. 'Ihere is thus no possibility that the subscriber can, by manipulation of his switch-hook, prevent the accurate registering of. overtime. The only way that it would be possible for him to stop the registering; of overtime would be for him to hang up the hook for ten seconds continuously, but it is to bc expected that 'by the time a switch-hook has been hung up for that length of time, the central-operator will have disconnected the subscriber. Having set out this operation, it will be evident that if one is to be absolutely accurate in description that the slot in the boss of the miter gear 47 must be of such length that the clock can run the full time of the single-price call plus the time which it will take for the rack-bar to get back into position and stop theclock before overtime will be registered.

I am aware that considerable variation is possible in the details of the construction here shown and described as my preferred form and, therefore, do not Wish to limitv myself to such specific form by reason of having described it in detail as required by law. My intention is, on the contrary, in the following claims, to set forth all the novelty which is inherent in the construction described. l

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In combination a clock-movement, means for starting the clockat the beginnin of a call, an overtime-register, a lostmotlon connection between the clock-movement and the overtime-register whereby the clock-movement can run for a definite period before moving the overtime-register and means to stop the clock-movement a predetermined time, after each call.l

2. In combination a clock-movement, means for starting the clock at the beginning of a call, an overtime-register, a lostmotion connection between the clock-movement and the overtime-register whereby the clock-movement can run for a denite period before moving the overtime register, means to stop the clock-movement a predetermined time after each call, and means for setting the lost-motion connection to normal position after each call.

In combination a clock-movement,

means for starting the clock at thevbeginconnection whereby lost-motion is permitted,

a spring holding said second pinion in a normal position with reference to the clockmovement, and means operated after each call for moving the first namedl pinion to throw the two o'ut of mesh whereby said spring may return-said second pinion to mormal position.

4. In combination a clock-movement, means for starting the clock-movement at the beginning of a call, an overtime-register, a pinion movable on the overtime-register shaft, a second pinion meshing therewith and carried by the clock-movement and connected therewith by a pin and slot connection whereby lost-motion is permitted, a spring holding said second pinion in a normal position with reference to the clockmovement, and means operated after each call for moving said first pinion upon its shaft to throw it out of mesh with the second pinion, whereby the spring may return thel second pinion to normal position.

5. In combination a clock-movement, a call-register, means controlled by the central operator for advancing the call-register, means operated by the register-advancing means for starting the clock-movement, an overtime-register, a lost-motion connection between the clock-movement and the overtime-register whereby the clock-movement can run for a definite period before moving the overtime-register and means to stop the clock-movement after each call.

6. In combination a clock-movement, a call-register, means controlled by the central operator for advancing the call-register, means operated by the register advancing means for starting the clock-movement, an overtime-register, a lost-motion connection between the clock-movement and the overtime-register wherebyT the clock-movement can run for a definite period before moving the overtime-register, means to stop the clock-movement after each. call, and means for setting the lost-motion connection to normal position after each call.

7. In combination a clock-movement, a call-register, means controlled by the central operator for advancing the call-register, means operated by the register-advancing means for starting the clock-movement, an overtime-register, a pinion on the overtimeregister shaft, a pinion meshing therewith and connected with the clock-movement by a pin and slot connection whereby lost-motion is permitted, a spring holding said second pinion in anormal position with reference to the clock-movement, and means operated after each call for moving a pinionto throw the two out of mesh whereby said spring may return said second pinion to normal position.v

8.111 combination a clock-movement, a call -register, means controlled by the central operator for advancing the call-register, means operated by the register-advancing means for starting the clock-movement, an overtime-register, a pinion movable on the overtime-register shaft a second pinion meshing therewith and carried by the clocle movement and connected therewith by a pin and slot connection whereby lost-n'iotion is permitted. a spring holding said second pinion in a normal position with reference to the clock-movement, and means operated after each call for moving said first pinion upon its shaft and throw it out of mesh with the second pinion, whereby the spring may return the second pinion to normal position.

9. In combination a clock-movement, a call-register, means controlled by the central operator for advancing the call-register, means operated by the register-advancing means for starting the clock-movement, an overtimeregister, a lost motion connection between the clock-movement and the overtime-register whereby the clock-movement can run for a definite period before moving the overtime-register, and means operated by the next operation of the call-register advancing means for setting the lostmotion connection to normal position.

10. In combination a clock-movement, a call-register, means controlled by the central operator for advancing the call-register, means operated by the register-advancing means for starting the clock-movement, an overtime-register, a lost-motion connection between the clock-movement and the overtime-register whereby the clock-movement can run for a definite period before moving the overtime-register, means to stop the clock-movement after each call, and means operated by the next operation of the call` register advancing means for setting the lost-motion connection to normal position.

l1. In combination a clock-movement, a call-register, means controlled by the central operator for advancing the call-register, means operated by the register-advancing means for starting the clock-movement, an overtime-register, a pinion on the overtime-register shaft, the pinion meshing therewith and connected with the clockmovement by a pin and slot connection whereby lost-motion is permitted, a spring holding said second pinion in a normal position with reference to the clockfmovement, and means operated by the next operation of the call-register advancing means for moving a pinion to throw the two out of mesh whereby said spring may return said second pinion to normal posit-ion.

ltherewith by a lostmotion 12. In combination a cloek-movement, a call-register, means controlled by the central operator for advancin the call-register. means operated by t e register-advancing means for .starting the clockmovcment, an overtime-register, a pinion movable on the overtime-register shaft, a second pinion meshing `therewith and carried by the clock-movement and con.

n'ected therewith by a pin and slot connection whereby lost-motion is permitted, a spring holding said second pinion in a normal position with reference to the clockmovement, and means operated by the next operation of the call-register advancing means for moving said first pinion upon its shaft and throw it out of mesh with the second pinion whereby the spring may return the second pinion to normal position.

13. In combination a clock-movement, means for starting the clock-movement at the beginning of a call, an overtime-register operated by the clock-movement and connected l connection whereby the clock-movement will run a definite period without affecting the overtimereglster and means operative upon the breaking of the line-circuit for stopping the clock-movement, a determined time after such breaking.

14. In combination a clock-movement, means for starting the clock-movement at the beginning of a' call, an overtime-register operated by the clock-movement, means operative upon the breaking of the line-current for stopping the clockmovement a determined time after such breaking.

15. In combination a clock-movement, an overtime-register operated by the clockmovement, a member adapted to be moved by the clock-movement and arranged when moved to normal position to stop the clockmovement, means for moving said member on the beginning of a call in position to start the clock, means operated by the line-current for holding said member when so moved out of engagement with the clock-movement and arranged to permit said member to engage the clock-movement to stop the same a predetermined time after the line-current cease-s.

16. In combination a clock-movement` an overtime-register operated by the clockmovement, a rack-bar adapted to be moved by a clock-pinion and arranged when moved to normal position thereby to stop the clockmovement, means for moving said rack-bar on the beginning of a call into position to start the clock, a magnet affected by the line-current and an armature therefor arranged to engage the rack-bar to hold the same out of engagement with its moving pinion during the passing of the line-current.

17. In combination a clock-movement, an

overtimc-register operated by the clock-l movement, a member adapted to be moved by the eloek-movement and arranged when moved to a normal position to stop the movement` a call-register, call-register-operating means` means operaled'by said call-registeroperating 'means for moving said member into position to start the clock. means operated by the line-current fob holding the member when so moved ont of engagement with the clock-movement and arranged to permit said member to engage the clockmovementto stop the same when the lineeurrent ceases.

18. In combination a clock-movement, an overtime-register actuated' by the clockmovement, a member adapted to be moved by the clock-movement and arranged when moved to normal position to stop the clockmovement by engagement therewith, a callregister, cal -register-advancing means, and means operated by the call-register-operating means for moving said member into position tvo start the clock.

19. In combination a clock-movement, an

rack-bar for engaging the. clock-movement to stop the same when thel rack-bar is in normal posltlon. a magnet a'ected by the line-current., an armature for said magnet arr: nged t0 engage the rack-bar t0 hold the same out of engagement with its moving pinion while the line-current is passing, a call-register, eall-register-advaneing means and means ope ated by the call-register-advanei'ng means for moving said rack-bar into positlon to be engaged b v said armature.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and aixed my seal this'llth dav of March, 1911.

HENRY K. SANDELL.

In the presence of two subscribing witnesses:

L. HEISLAR, R. Scl-IAEFER. 

